MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series champion and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. has launched MTJ Aviation, a part 135 private charter company.

MTJ Aviation is an ARGUS Gold certified Part 135 charter operator, based in Mooresville, N.C. The organization is a private charter aviation company that caters to clients that prioritize safety and care about cost.

MTJ Aviation’s chief pilot, Guy Cooper, has more than 15 years of experience in corporate aviation, including time as a jet captain at Delta Private Jets with experience managing and flying a wide variety of corporate turbine aircraft.

MTJ Aviation’s line pilots have extensive experience in a wide range of aviation fields including major airlines, corporations and the United States Military.

MTJ Aviation’s Director of Maintenance, Ron Dietz II, has more than 20 years of experience as an airframe and power plant technician. His background includes maintenance with fleet operators, such as Flight Options, US Airways and multiple charter operations.

“I decided to launch a private aviation charter company because of our experience flying to
NASCAR races every weekend over the last decade or so,” said Truex. “MTJ Aviation offers a refreshing alternative because there are no fractional ownerships, memberships or long-term contracts; we simply fly you from point A to point B safely at a reasonable cost.”

CONCORD, N.C. — Danny Dietrich leads the National Sprint Car Rankings for the third straight week, raising his average finish to 3.431.

Dietrich has made a national best 66 starts this season and has been dropping lackluster finishes since he hit the 50-start mark. The Gettysburg, Pa., driver won his 14th feature of the season last Friday at Williams Grove Speedway.

His 3.431 average finish is down from 3.7 the previous week, putting him ahead of World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series driver Brad Sweet, who has an average finish of 3.680 in 59 starts.

World of Outlaws point leader Donny Schatz (4.420) remains third, with an average finish of 4.020 in 56 races.

Two more World of Outlaws drivers — David Gravel (4.260) and Daryn Pittman (5.620) — round out the top five.

Logan Wagner, Cap Henry, Logan Schuchart, Jade Hastings, who entered the top 10 for the first time, and Buddy Kofoid round out the top 10.

Dietrich leads the Eastern region on the strength of 14 victories, while other regional leaders are Buddy Kofoid (Great Lakes), Billy Balog (Great Plains), Logan Schuchart (Northwest), Dominic Scelzi (West), Jacob Patton (Mid-America) and Carl Bowser. (Ohio-PA).

One hundred and 18 drivers have combined to win 315 features run through Sept. 2.

To view the complete rankings, click below.

Steve Torrence might be a little late to the party, but he’s there.

The reigning NHRA Top Fuel champion, who has raced with a stubborn fury that rivals or surpasses anything drag racing’s legends have dished out, has learned that dominance is necessary only at the right time.

Others already had caught on to that strategy, trying to maneuver their way through NHRA’s six-race, end-of-season Countdown to the Championship playoff.

Torrence, the plain-talking Texan, was blunt about his disdain for the format he regards as socialistic. And he has a powerful ally in the creative three-time champion Antron Brown, who has a clever and rational idea for the sanctioning body to consider.

The Countdown began in 2007 and was patterned after NASCAR’s Chase. The purpose was to maintain fan interest until the final day of the season.

That has happened with Brown, Erica Enders, Brittany Force, John Force, Matt Hagan and Tony Schumacher among those who have clinched series titles in dramatic fashion.

For more than a decade, the top 10 in each professional class after an 18-race so-called “regular season” duke it out in a six-event run. Points are bunched in 10-point increments, with the leader having a 20-point advantage.

As if NHRA drag racing wasn’t complicated enough, the inaugural version of the Countdown in 2007 was a bit over structured and restrictive. The field featured only the top eight drivers after a 17-race regular season. The number of title-eligible racers shrank to four with two events remaining. Drivers’ points were reset in 10-point increments for the first round of the playoffs and again in 10-point increments for the two-race showdown.

The traditional point system didn’t guarantee the driver with the most victories throughout the year would earn the championship. Surprisingly, 16 times among the professional categories from 1974 through 2006, the final year under the “old” format, the champion didn’t win the most races.

Torrence spoke out about the Countdown format in 2017 after he won eight times but lost the championship to Brittany Force.

“It is what it is,” Torrence said. “This whole NHRA deal with the welfare points system is just a crock of crap. You come out here and race for 24 races and you only get to count six. Brittany got hot in the last few races and did good, and you can’t take that away from them. But those guys wouldn’t even be in contention if it wasn’t for this bullshit points system they’ve got. So it is what it is and we’ve got to play by their rules. Congrats to Brittany. Great job. She won the championship. It is what it is, but it’s still bullshit.”

Curiously, in the Countdown-era alone, it had happened seven times before Torrence lashed out.

The most classic example came 10 years ago and inspires hopefuls today. Robert Hight, who had seven first-round losses and two failures to qualify in the 2009 regular season, came from 10th place with three Countdown triumphs to grab his first of two Funny Car championships.

“Robert Hight won the championship from the 10th spot once, but if it was the old, natural way, he would never have been close to winning the championship that year,” Brown said. “What it did is took away from all the teams all their work. I feel like our sport was truly better the old, natural way. That’s my own personal opinion.”

He expressed the same sentiment about Torrence’s disappointment in 2017.

“We race out here. That’s what we do — we race hard,” he said. “Steve and that Capco team worked hard. They won more races than anybody and they deserve the championship. They worked real hard and nobody else would be even close.”

Torrence was so perturbed about losing the title that had appeared to be his that he mule-stomped everyone last season. He was perfect in 11 final rounds and swept all 24 elimination rounds of the Countdown to secure the championship.

Brown understood.

“The regular season is one thing, but the bad part is you really don’t get anything for doing good in the regular season. You’ve got six races to win a championship,” Brown said. “And everything that we’ve done for the last 18 races means nothing. It means nothing. All we did was just seed you.

“We went through a precursor, and all that hard work has gone out the window. And I hate it, because I’m an old-school man where I think all the points should count. Everybody races, and everybody knows this going in. Whoever gets hot for these six races is going to bring the championship home,” he added.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Driven2SaveLives BC39 powered by NOS Energy Drink is an event that was created in honor of late USAC star Bryan Clauson, a race he dreamed of seeing come to fruition for so long.

A three-time Indianapolis 500 starter and renowned short-track competitor, Clauson had tugged on the sleeve of Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles for years before his untimely passing in August of 2016, trying to get a dirt track built inside the famed 2.5-mile IMS oval.

Finally, last September, that dream of Clauson’s was realized.

Because of who the race tributes and why it was created, the BC39 is an event that is close to the heart of all four of the full-time USAC drivers competing for Clauson-Marshall Racing, the team co-owned by Clauson’s father Tim and businessman Richard Marshall that was launched in the wake of his passing.

It arguably gets no bigger for a driver than Clauson’s longtime friend Tyler Courtney, who was one of the closest in the dirt pits to Clauson and was quick to nod to Clauson’s mentoring in his early racing days.

“This is … I’m sure the word special will get said a lot this week, but there’s not enough different words for that to explain what it means to me, to us, to this team,” said Courtney, the current USAC National Midget point leader. “I got to watch him run an Indy car on the big track here, and then obviously I got to be a part of a lot of his success in the dirt track ranks. I got to be a part of his first major championship and a lot of stuff like that. He mentored me along the way and formed me into what I’ve become today.

“It means a lot to get to race in his honor, and to do it at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I think, is the cherry on top. Bryan loved this place.”

Second-year USAC driver Zeb Wise was Clauson’s final selection as a development driver before his death, and Wise repaid that selection with a win in the Stoops Pursuit race on the IMS dirt a year ago.

If not for Clauson, Wise might not even be at the level he is right now, making a potential BC39 victory even more meaningful in the 16-year-old’s eyes.

“I tell people this a lot, but if it wasn’t for Bryan believing in me, I probably wouldn’t be driving a midget, especially for Tim Clauson and Clauson Marshall Racing,” Wise said. “To race in his honor, not only at a race he basically started and wanted to have happen, but to race in honor of his number, to be his last development pick … it’s kind of breathtaking, for me, to look back and realize what’s all happening once the car hits the race track.

“Then when you add having Driven2SaveLives on board, that’s just one more thing, with them being the title sponsor of the race,” Wise continued. “It’s unbelievable to be able to roll out there and race in his honor, and we just want to carry on his legacy as much as we can.”

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CHICAGO — One of my favorite races of the year – the Tony Bettenhausen Classic 100 late model stock car special, is set for Sept. 14, at Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Ill.

The 58th running of the traditional Chicagoland race will be presented by Elite Tradeshow Services and pay $5,800, plus lap money, to the winner.

Race officials predict more than 24 late model cars and drivers will be on hand.

Indiana’s Paul Shafer won last year’s 100 lapper and is among the early entries. Two-time Grundy late model champion Ricky Baker won the Bettenhausen 100 in 2016 and again in 2017.  Baker won last Sunday’s Lee Schuler Memorial at Grundy for his fourth career victory in that race – showing Baker knows his way around the third-of-a-mile paved oval.

This will be the fourth year that the Bettenhausen Classic has been held at the Grundy speed plant. The event originated at the now-closed Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, Ind., in 1962 – first as a United States Auto Club stock car race, with the likes of Troy Ruttman, Paul Goldsmith and Norm Nelson winning the USAC races.

Illiana founder and promoter Harry Molenaar changed the format of the event to “open competition” with Conan “Moose” Myers winning in 1965 – the first of three career Bettenhausen wins for the Fort Wayne, Ind., speedster.

Michigan’s Joy Fair won the race twice, in 1967 and again in 1969, in his only appearances ever at Illiana. Perennial Iliana champion Frank Gawlinski won the race a record nine times – his last coming in 1997.

Brett Sontag, Pat Kelly, Dave Weltmeyer, Larry Schuler, Ray Young and Ed Hoffman were other multi-time winners.

Second generation racer Eddie Hoffman, who wrapped up his sixth career late model championship at Grundy this year, won the Bettenhausen 100 at Illiana four times.

Illinois’ Boris Jurkovic and Michigan’s Brian Campbell each won the race twice during the last half-dozen races or so at Illiana. The final Bettenhausen 100 lapper at Illiana took place in 2015 with Indiana’s Scott Tomasik scoring the victory.

Congratulations to Dick Bartel, John Cowman, Bill George, Gene Lee Gibson, Pat Kelly, Scott Pavlis, David Thompson and Pat Wilda on their induction into the Mazon Speed Bowl/Grundy County Speedway Hall of Fame.

Bartel, Cowman, Kelly and Pavlis, all stock car drivers, along with midget racing competitors Gibson, Thompson and Wilda, were inducted during last ceremonies last Saturday. George, the Chicago Bears hall of fame football great, was a supporter and sponsor of racing at Grundy after his gridiron days were over.

Later, both of George’s sons, Leo and Biff, competed at Grundy.

Kudos to Nathan Kelly, Keith Tolf and Tony Brutti – all first time late model feature winners at Grundy this season. Track records now show 124 different late model feature winners at Grundy since the track opened in 1971.

It’s a little late coming, but hats off to Boris Jurkovic for capturing the Battle at Berlin 251 late model stock car event at Michigan’s Berlin Raceway on Aug. 17.

Jurkovic bested a field of 30 other drivers and collected $20,000 for his winning effort. Racing out of the Joliet area, Jurkovic put his Rowdy Manufacturing/Reliable Recovery Services Camry No. 53 into victory lane ahead of Kyle Crump and Brian Campbell.

The race actually ended early Sunday morning after an hour-and-a-half rain delay.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman headlines the 2019 class of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

Bettman, former Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas, longtime NHL forward Brian Gionta, Washington youth hockey staple Neal Henderson and U.S women's star Krissy Wendell will be inducted at a ceremony Dec. 12. Bettman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto last year.

Thomas in 2011 became the second American and the oldest player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2011 when he led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup. He made headlines for skipping the trip to see then-President Barack Obama in the White House and has been virtually invisible since walking away from hockey in 2014.

Gionta put up 595 points in 16 NHL seasons and won the Cup with New Jersey in 2003. He represented the U.S. in the 2006 and 2018 Olympics.

Henderson in 1978 co-founded the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, the oldest minority hockey club in North America, and was part of the NHL's launch of its "Hockey is for Everyone" initiative.

Wendell won two NCAA titles at Minnesota and ranks fourth all-time with 2.35 points a game. She put up 247 points in 147 international games, was the MVP of the 2005 world championships when the U.S. won gold for the first time and served as captain at the 2006 Olympics.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Clayton Keller has lived up to lofty expectations, becoming one of Arizona's best players by his second full NHL season.

The Coyotes rewarded the skilled forward with an eight-year contract extension with an average annual salary of $7.15 million.

Slated to become a restricted free agent next year, Keller will now remain in the desert through the 2027-28 season.

"Clayton is elite in every sense of the word," Coyotes general manager John Chayka said in a statement. "He is not only an All-Star and one of the premiere offensive playmakers in the league, but he is equally special as a person with his drive and determination to be great. We are thankful to Clayton for believing in our future and look forward to him playing a vital role on this team for many years to come."

Keller was tabbed as a star in the making after the Coyotes selected him with the seventh overall pick of the 2016 NHL draft.

Keller didn't disappoint, setting a franchise rookie record with a 10-game points streak and becoming a finalist for the Calder Trophy after scoring 23 goals with 42 assists in 2017-18.

A native of Chesterfield, Missouri, the 21-year-old Keller became the youngest player in franchise history to play in the All-Star game last season. He led the Coyotes with 14 goals and 33 assists in 82 games.

Keller also joined Dale Hawerchuk and Teemu Selanne as the only players in franchise history to have four separate points streaks of at least six games within the first 100 games of his career. He has 37 goals and 77 assists in 167 career games.

"This is a truly special day for my family and I," Keller said. "I love everything about being a Coyote. My teammates are great. We have a great coaching staff. Everything about this organization is on the right track and I know we have an opportunity to do some special things here for a long time. Arizona is where I want to be and I'm proud to commit to the Coyotes long term."

Controversial former NHL star Tim Thomas offered his first public comments in several years on Wednesday, after being named to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

"Everybody probably knows nowadays I don't have that much to say, at least publicly," said Thomas, the former Boston Bruins goalie who stepped away from public life after his final NHL season in 2013-14. "I've decided to keep whatever I've been doing in my life to myself, probably forever."

Thomas' career saw him rise from journeyman status to become a two-time Vezina Trophy winner and Stanley Cup champion. But a decision in 2012 to boycott the Bruins' visit to the White House transformed him from a hockey folk hero to a lightning rod of political controversy.

Thomas hadn't spoken to reporters in several years, and he reiterated during a conference call Wednesday that his private life would remain private. As for hockey, Thomas told ESPN that last season's Stanley Cup playoffs, in which the Bruins advanced to the Final, marked the first time he had consumed the NHL on a regular basis.

"I personally don't have any relationship with the game," Thomas said. "My focus is on learning about other stuff. I think I learned as much from hockey as I could."

The University of Vermont standout played in the minor leagues for years, and he first appeared in the NHL as a 28-year-old rookie in 2002-03 -- not becoming a regular with Boston until the 2005-06 season.

In 378 games with the Bruins, Thomas posted a 196-121-45 record. He became one of the league's top goaltenders, winning the Vezina Trophy in 2009 and 2011. He captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP in 2011, leading the Bruins to the Stanley Cup with a 1.98 goals-against average, a .940 save percentage and a victory on the road in Game 7 in Vancouver.

Public perception of Thomas, however, changed after that championship when he opted not to accompany the team to meet President Barack Obama at the White House the following January.

A Tea Party supporter, Thomas posted on Facebook that "the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People" and "this was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an individual."

That decision led to public criticism from fans and politicians, including then- Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and Sen. Scott Brown. At the 2012 NHL All-Star Game, Thomas called the controversy a "media-driven" one.

"I would really appreciate if people would leave my teammates and my family out of it," Thomas said then.

He last played during the 2013-14 NHL season at age 39, splitting 48 games between the Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars. After that, he stepped away from the NHL. There was speculation he might rejoin his 2011 Bruins teammates at a reunion in May, but Thomas stayed away.

Could he envision a return to Boston at some point?

"That's a tough one. With the state of my nervousness since I retired, I wouldn't be able to handle the crowd. It isn't as simple as it may seem," Thomas said. "It's not fun for me to travel anymore. It has nothing to do with the Boston Bruins or Boston fans. They loved the crap out of me when I was there."

Thomas is scheduled to travel in December to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame ceremony in Washington, D.C. He will be inducted along with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, longtime NHL forward Brian Gionta, Washington youth hockey figure Neal Henderson and U.S women's star Krissy Wendell at an event on Dec. 12.